Inside Skirt Gong ~ What Happened?

[thirdeye]

What started off as some skirt tacos for dinner is going to wind up as chopped meat in some breakfast burritos for the freezer. These were tougher than Klingon trigonometry.

I used a 1 hour light coating of Head Country Marinade and some Minor's AuJus Prep, along with some Oakridge Smokey Chile Lime Rub (so nothing new there), followed by a hot-n-fast cook, rested 10 minutes and sliced pretty thin. This was inside skirt from Sam's Club. Any idears??

 

[mike243]

Some things were meant to be ground

 

[Chasdev]

Inside skirt, which is all you can find anymore, is tough as shoe leather.
No amount of tinkering around with it helps.
You can try "tenderizing" with multiple small holes poked in it and it is sometimes sold that way at the grocery store.
Outside skirt is what you were thinking of when you bought the inside version, the outside skirt is much more tender and needs little tinkering if any to come out perfectly tender.
I've read that all the outside skirt goes to resturants, and a large percentage of it is exported to China, Japan, etc..due to the profits made in that market.
All I know for sure is that I no longer even glance at skirt steaks in the cooler at the store, they are a pure waste of money and If I am going to waste money, I'll by plate ribs and at least end up with some great eating beef.

 

[SmokinEdge]

This is exactly why I stopped buying skirt and started buying sirloin flap. That flap meat will make you smile.

 

[flatbroke]

Maybe it was CDC

 

[clifish]

For tough cuts I like to marinate in fresh Pineapple and fresh mango juice (must be from fresh or frozen fruit not container juice) for an hour or so. It seems to break down the toughness. I agree the Oakridge Chili lime is the bomb for tacos/fajitas.

 

[edmonds]

Looks like you did everything right. And it even looks good. Maybe a marinade instead of a rub would have helped a little. But it's probably the cow. Sometimes it can be a crap shoot. You don't know what breed the cow was, how old it was, what it ate, etc.
I get tender skirts (both inside and outside) from my grass-fed Dexter cows.

 

[normanaj]

Usually the skirts I've been buying at Aldis have been outstanding but the last one was as you described yours so into the chili pot it went.

 

[thirdeye]

This is exactly why I stopped buying skirt and started buying sirloin flap. That flap meat will make you smile.

I looked at the Sam's online meat selection, they have sirloin flap meat at $8.66 in a bulk pack. Unavailable at my store, but I'll check from time to time.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I looked at the Sam's online meat selection, they have sirloin flap meat at $8.66 in a bulk pack. Unavailable at my store, but I'll check from time to time.

If you can get your hands on some, you won’t regret it. Luckily for me my local City Market (Kroger owned) carries flap behind the glass.

 

[xray]

I just did skirt steak tacos 2 days ago with meat from Sam’s. No issues with tenderness with the ones I have bought. I buy the two pack and then only use half of one and freeze the rest.

Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky or you had a bad cow?

I always marinate mine usually a minimum 8 hours, cook hot-n-fast then I slice thinly across the grain and then those strips are cubed up even smaller. I throw all the meat back in with the accumulated juices.

 

[thirdeye]

I just did skirt steak tacos 2 days ago with meat from Sam’s. No issues with tenderness with the ones I have bought. I buy the two pack and then only use half of one and freeze the rest.

Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky or you had a bad cow?

I always marinate mine usually a minimum 8 hours, cook hot-n-fast then I slice thinly across the grain and then those strips are cubed up even smaller. I throw all the meat back in with the accumulated juices.
View attachment 510819View attachment 510820View attachment 510821

I did wind up cubing the slices I showed in the photo's and that helped a lot for the taco's last night. I plan on doing the same with the leftover meat.

 

[clifish]

Hey Ray,

is that Cotija cheese on those tacos? Do you buy it block or pre-grated? I have never used it but want to start in some of my Mexican menus.

 

[xray]

Hey Ray,

is that Cotija cheese on those tacos? Do you buy it block or pre-grated? I have never used it but want to start in some of my Mexican menus.

That cheese on those tacos is queso fresco. I buy the block and I cut a small wedge off and throw it in a blender and blitz it a few times so it’s evenly crumbled.

I do use cotija and prefer it over the queso fresco but it’s harder for me to get. I could only get it at Wegmans which requires a special trip. They sell it as a larger wedge and by the lb. I crumble it the same way, cut off what I need and hit it a few times in the blender.

 

[clifish]

yeah I know I can get it pretty easy down here, how long does the block last before mold takes over?

 

[xray]

yeah I know I can get it pretty easy down here, how long does the block last before mold takes over?

Usually about 3-4 weeks. After I open it from the original packaging I put it in a freezer zip loc and get as much of the air out as I can before going into the fridge. I never touch it with my bare hands, I wear gloves for everything. The cotija will last you longer because it’s dryer.

 

[Fueling Around]

I prefer flank over inside skirt. Both are the same muscle group and same ridiculous price for a cut that used to go in the grinder.

Some things were meant to be ground

I agree.
Some of these cuts they label as "steak" is beyond me.

 

[rc4u]

i buy 3-5# blocks and shredded

of cheese and then vac seal it lasts way long time..